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Preserve and Pervert: Seratones on Southern Rock, Pushing Boundaries, and PWR BTTM

Figuratively speaking, that is. The Shreveport, Louisiana-based quartet is counting the days until May 6, the day their debut album Get Gone officially drops. “I just want to hold the record in my hand, put it on the record player, and then play it backwards,” laughs frontwoman AJ Haynes. “I can’t wait to show it to my parents.”

In the meantime, they’ll have to occupy themselves with their spring tour. Following an attention-grabbing South By Southwest jaunt, Seratones toured in support of Portland psych stalwarts The Dandy Warhols, then hopped on as openers for Thao and The Get Down Stay Down’s tour. “We couldn’t have planned it any better,” Haynes says.

That’s not to imply that the foursome were strangers to touring prior to earning coveted support slots and a nod in The New York Times’ SXSW coverage. The band’s live energy and sound proved so integral to their identity that they used it as both a starting point and a barometer while recording. “This record is trying to capture lightning in a bottle,” says Haynes. “We wanted it to have as much of the excitement that we try to put on with our live shows.”

The result is an ambitious and spirited debut. Get Gone chips away at the confines of the southern rock narrative that constitutes its roots, audibly itching to push the genre forward. Chalk it up to a combination of ambition and the band’s innate awareness of the regional connection between their own home and the birthplace of blues and rock.
And while tapping into those roots comes naturally, it’s not without its complications. “Southern rock has a negative connotation because it’s usually associated with, like, Skynyrd,” Haynes says. “People lose sight of the fact that rock ‘n’ roll’s lineage really starts from the deep south.”

Seratones haven’t forgotten. Southern blues establishments Howlin’ Wolf and Elmore James come first when Haynes lists key influences – followed by decidedly un-southern rockers Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees. In this age of superstar DJs and heated debates over the merits of pop, the band’s commitment to bona fide guitar music remains fixed. “I’ve always been drawn to the transformative power of rock ‘n’ roll,” says Haynes. “I think it’s important to hold onto, to preserve. And also to pervert, to see how far you can stretch it.”

Get Gone sees the group already flirting with perversion via genre-mashing frenzy, one in which West Coast garage, punk, blues, and soul exist in constant collision. “Being from the south, we know how to take bits and pieces of things and put them together,” she explains.

Simply put, Seratones make historically conscious modern rock songs for a nostalgia-obsessed public. Get Gone is excitable, ferocious, rambunctious, and gimmick-free, a raw distillation of the band’s commitment to bottle that live show lightning. So, if you come to Get Gone anticipating Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Next Generation, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.

Expect to be equally disappointed if you’re expecting Skynyrd-era politics. Haynes mentions Gloria Steinem and Audre Lorde in the same breath as queer punk duo PWR BTTM – whose members she describes as “feminist as fuck.” As a frontwoman, she emphasizes visibility and amplifying marginalized voices. “One of my favorite things is you can’t be what you can’t see," she says. "I want to show people that there are other stories to be told.”

For Haynes, Seratones’ story is simple: true blue rock ‘n’ roll told by and for people who don’t necessarily align with the genre’s preferred identity (read: white dudes). Herstory and rock are inextricably linked, writing damn good songs is the crux of everything, and screw the rest. Or, to quote the frontwoman herself, “As long as you believe in what you’re doing and the songs that you’re making, who gives a shit?”

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Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"